This week for the Movie Monday feature, I am reviewing the documentary film, Circus of Books. This movie was released in 2019 and has a running time of 1 hour & 32 minutes. This film is rated TV-MA for the following reasons: moderate sex & nudity; mild profanity; and mild alcohol/drugs/smoking. Starring in this film is Karen Mason, Barry Mason, and Rachel Mason. The following plot overview is provided from IMDB: In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flint was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Books. A decade later, they had become the biggest distributors of gay porn in the US. The film focuses on the double life they led, trying to maintain the balance of being parents at a time when LGBT culture was not yet accepted. Their many challenges included facing jail time for a federal obscenity prosecution and enabling their store to be a place of refuge at the height of the AIDs crisis. Circus of Books offers a rare glimpse into an untold chapter of queer history, and it is told through the lens of the owners’ own daughter, Rachel Mason, an artist, filmmaker, and musician.
This documentary hit me with so many emotions. I loved seeing how inclusive they were when it was not the thing to do. It broke my heart to hear about how they lost so many people they cared about to the AIDS crisis. I felt for them as parents, as they had to confront their personal convictions when a family member no longer fits the mold society/religion, has said they must fit. This is a great film that shines the spotlight on LGBTQIA+ history. I think this film is a great one to watch for different reasons and will mean something different to each viewer.
I give this film 4 out of 5 stars.
Tomorrow for the TV Tuesday feature, I am reviewing the comedy series, Norsemen. Next week for the Movie Monday feature, I am reviewing the action thriller film, Extraction. Until then keep seizing the cinema.
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